The Presidency
President and Vice President
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Presidents have enormous power and
responsibility in government
Presidential Responsibilities
◦ Make sure national laws are fully executed.
◦ Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces.
◦ Appoint top officials, federal judges, and
ambassadors to meet with foreign governments.
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The 22nd Amendment
◦ George Washington set a long-held precedent that the
president would serve only two terms.
◦ Franklin Roosevelt was elected four times.
◦ The 22nd Amendment limited the president to two terms.
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Salary and Benefits
◦ Congress determines the President’s salary.
◦ The president has been paid $400,000 since 2001.
◦ The President is also provided with a $100,000 nontaxable travel allowance, the use of a helicopter,
airplane, limousines and a 132 room mansion.
◦ He or she also receive free health care and a pension.
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Constitutional Requirements
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A candidate must be a natural-born citizen.
Must be 35 year of age
Must be a resident of the United States for 14 years.
The same requirements apply to the vice president.
Government Experience
◦ Candidates who served as US Senators or state
governors are most likely to win.
◦ A political career provides the opportunity to form
alliances needed to obtain a party's nominate as
well as the name recognition necessary to win
votes.
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Importance of Money
◦ Candidates for office must have access to sources
for raising large amounts of money in the
presidential election campaign.
◦ There are caps on the amount of money that can be
spent during a candidate's run for president.
 $33.78 million in the primaries
 $67.56 million in the general election
◦ This money is used to pay for television ads, hiring
campaign staff and consultants, and sending out
mailings.
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Political Beliefs
◦ Successful presidential candidates usually hold moderate
political beliefs.
◦ This allows them to reach the greatest number of
potential voters.
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Personal Characteristics
◦ Presidents generally have been white, married,
Protestant, financially successful men.
◦ No women nor any person of Hispanic or Asian ancestry
has been elected president.
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Personal Growth
◦ “To be President of the United States is to be lonely, very
lonely at times of great decision.” Harry Truman
◦ The presidency reveals strengths and weaknesses.
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The 25th Amendment established the order of
succession to the presidency.
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Vice President
Speaker of the House
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Other cabinet member
The 25th Amendment also spells out what
happens when the vice presidency is vacant.
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The vice president’s work depends on what
jobs, if any, the president assigns.
Although presidents before Eisenhower
generally ignored their vice presidents,
presidents since then have tried to give their
vice presidents more responsibility.
They are involved in diplomatic activities such
as representing the president overseas.
Electing the President
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Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution
provided that the candidate receiving a
majority of the electoral votes became the
president.
Each state would have as many electors as it
had senators and Representatives in
Congress.
◦ Elector: member of a party chosen in each state to
formally elect a president and vice president.
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The Candidate with the second-highest
number of votes became vice president.
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The election of 1800 was decided by the
House of Representatives who voted Thomas
Jefferson ahead of Aaron Burr.
To prevent a tie vote for president in the
Electoral College, the 12th Amendment
provided that electors must cast separate
ballots for president and vice president.
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The Electoral College is still used to choose
the president and vice president.
The College uses a winner take all system.
◦ All of a state’s (except Maine and Nebraska)
electoral votes go to the candidate receiving the
largest popular vote.
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The Electoral College vote is cast in
December.
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Winner Take All
◦ The Electoral College system today makes it
possible for a candidate who loses the total popular
vote to win the electoral vote.
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Third Party Candidates
◦ A third-party candidate could win enough electoral
votes to prevent either major party candidate from
receiving a majority in Electoral College.
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Election by the House
◦ When the House of Representatives must decide a
presidential election, each state casts one vote.
◦ The House may face several serious problems:
 States with small populations have as much weight as
states with larger populations.
 Under the rules, if a majority of representatives from a
state cannot agree on a candidate, the state loses its
vote.
 If some members of the House favor a strong thirdparty candidate, it could be difficult for any candidate
to get the 26 votes needed to win.
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Ideas for Reform
◦ Electoral votes by district rather than by state.
 Two statewide electoral votes would go to the
candidate carrying the most districts.
◦ Candidates receive percentage of Electoral vote
based on popular vote in the state.
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Direct popular Election
◦ Critics argue the Electoral College should be
replaced with direct election of the president and
vice president.
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The new president is sworn into office in an
inauguration ceremony.
All leading officials from the three branches
of government attend the January Ceremony.
The Cabinet
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Cabinet: secretaries of the executive
departments, the vice president, and other
top offices that help the president make
decisions and policy
Secretaries should have some credible
expertise in the policy areas their department
will manage.
They should provide geographic balance as
well as racial and gender representation.
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Major Factors in Making Appointments:
◦ Do the members’ backgrounds suit their cabinet
post?
◦ Do they bring geographical balance to the cabinet?
◦ Do they satisfy interest groups?
◦ Do they have high level administrative skills?
◦ Are ethnic and racial minorities and women
included in the group?
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Background of Cabinet Members
◦ Cabinet members today are usually college
graduates and leaders in various professional fields.
◦ Cabinet secretaries earn $161,200 annually.
◦ Many could make more money in the business
world but take Cabinet positions anyway.
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Nominations and Confirmations
◦ The Senate must approve cabinet appointees, and it
usually does so out of courtesy to the president.
◦ The nominee appears before the Senate committee
that oversees the department to answer questions
about his or her background and views.
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As individuals, cabinet members are
responsible for the executive departments
they head.
As a group, the cabinet is intended to serve
as an advisory board to the president.
The cabinet meets when the president calls it
together.
Meeting occur in the cabinet room of the
White House and are usually closed to the
public and the press.
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The Cabinet in History
◦ The cabinet’s role in government depends on what
each presidents wants.
◦ Stronger presidents such as Jackson, Lincoln,
Wilson, and FDR have paid the cabinet less
attention.
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The Modern Cabinet
◦ Several recent presidents have attempted to
increase the role of the cabinet.
◦ Most end up using other sources for advice.
◦ Bush and Clinton have used their cabinets as
sounding boards rather than advisors.
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The Influence of Cabinet Members
◦ Some cabinet members who work closely with the
president wield influence because they head
departments that are concerned with national
issues.
◦ The secretaries of state, defense, and treasury, plus
the attorney general form the “inner cabinet” and
influence the president’s decisions on matters
related to their department’s area of interest.
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Conflicting Loyalties
◦ The president does not command full loyalty of
cabinet members.
◦ Cabinet members are pressured by career officials
in their departments, interest groups, and members
of Congress.
◦ This pressure may result in disagreements within
the cabinet over the president’s policies and plans.
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Secrecy and Trust
◦ With 14 cabinet members, it is difficult to maintain
secrecy in matters the president considers
sensitive.
◦ The president may not know and trust all the
members of the cabinet because the president must
weigh so many factors in appointing them.
The Executive Office
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The Executive Office of the President (EOP)
was created by Congress in 1939.
The EOP consists of individuals and agencies
that directly assist the president.
The EOP was the result of FDR’s attempts to
add government programs in order to make
the government more efficient
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Organization and Growth
◦ Today the EOP consists of the White House Office
and several specialized agencies that report to the
president.
◦ The EOP has grown rapidly for three reasons:
 Presidents adding new agencies to it as problems
arise.
 Presidents want experts nearby to advise them about
complex issues.
 Federal programs sometimes require special staff to
coordinate the efforts of several executive
departments and other agencies working together.
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The Office of Management and Budget
◦ Largest agency in the EOP
◦ Prepares the national budget that the president
submits to Congress each year.
◦ Review all legislative proposals that executive
agencies prepare in a process called central
clearance
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The National Security Council
◦ Advises the president and helps coordinate the
nation’s military foreign policy
◦ Headed by the president but also includes the vice
president, secretary of state, and secretary of state.
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The National Homeland Security Council
◦ Created in 2001 following the terrorists attacks of
9/11.
◦ Responsible for developing a national strategy to
protect the US from future terrorist attacks.
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The Council of Economic Advisers
◦ Helps the president formulate the nation’s
economic policy.
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Other EOP Agencies
◦ Presidents add and sometimes eliminate agencies
to the EOP to help carry out policy.
◦ Domestic Policy Council
◦ National Economic Council
◦ Office of Environmental Policy
◦ Environmental Protection Agency
◦ Office of Science and Technology Policy
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Early presidents had little help with everyday
activities.
◦ Washington hired his nephew at his own expense.
◦ Cleveland and McKinley personally answered phone
calls to the White House.
◦ A 1937 study determined that the president
required a personal staff.
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The president appoints White House staff
without Senate confirmation.
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Organization and Growth
◦ The White House Office has become the most
important part of the Executive Office of the
President.
◦ Key aides are usually longtime personal supporters
of the president.
◦ The White House Office grew from about 50 people
under Roosevelt to nearly 600 people under Nixon.
◦ Staff size has dropped during the last 3 decades.
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Duties of the White House Office
◦ The White House staff perform whatever duties the
president assigns them.
◦ Duties could include:
 Gathering information and providing advice on key
issues
 Ensuring that executive departments and agencies
carry out key directions from the president
 Presenting the president’s views to the outside world
 Deciding who and what information gets through to
the president